Are they more upscale places catering to people with some disposable income versus businesses catering to lower income people that are necessities? 

The third one is ok - I don't mind the way they run things and I don't feel the need to be involved.As a CPA, I can look at a set of financial statements and pretty quickly find areas for improvement, calculate a true necessity for a dues increase or a special assessment and do everything possible to keep the community in good shape while allocating funds appropriately.Don't like your HOA?  

Here's how California defines Fair Market Value as it pertains to condemnation:"The fair market value of the property taken is the highest price on the date of valuation that would be agreed to by a seller, being willing to sell but under no particular or urgent necessity for so doing, nor obliged to sell, and a buyer, being ready, willing, and able to buy but under no particular necessity for so doing, each dealing with the other with full knowledge of all the uses and purposes for which the property is reasonably adaptable and available."

Multifamily rents fell in both the Lifestyle (-0.2%) and Renter-by-Necessity (-0.1%) segments.Of the top 30 metro areas surveyed by Yardi Matrix, only six experienced growth in multifamily rent prices: Columbus, New York City, Atlanta, Minneapolis + St.

Consequently, they generate their own problems and high vacancies.Contrarily however, beach cities (eg Santa Barbara, Huntington Beach, Ft Lauderdale) and mountain ski resorts (Jackson Hole, Vale, Mammoth Lake) have so much activity that the accommodations is just a trivial necessity to facilitate the activity.Where there are numerous class-c's in resort locations - - the area is over built and I would find some other location to invest (the lowest common denominator drags you down), unless class-c is your intended market segment.Best wishes.

Its not a "set it and forget it" type of business.The tenants will expect everything to be taken care of for them, like cutting the grass, shoveling the snow, paying all the utilities, having a cleaning service and providing certain necessities like toilet paper.

The bad news is I live this first world life so even though it's not like I'm going hungry or deprived of necessities it still hurts.The big issue is this: My W2 income is so high that no matter what my properties do, the tax savings are really insignificant.

Personally I don't want to have any excess consumer debt, but understand the necessity to use debt to leverage asset purchases.My two centsDon

So maybe some things that seem to work in the USA don't work as well in Europe.If there is lots of competition for the purchase of a specific property, that will be a case where many offers lead to a higher sales price - this is just part of the fundamentals of supply and demand, with high demand bringing a high price.Starting with a property in need of extensive repairs that you purchase for a lower price becomes a necessity then.

As for savings even with a full time job making $12/hr and living in the cheapest 2 bdrm apt. i can find (I have a wife and son) i barely am able to afford bills and food/necessities.